Posts Tagged ‘dementia’

Someone is bored…as anyone would be in the situation. We had to plan an outing. With the help of our county transportation service, I was able to arrange a small trip to the local mall where we shopped and ate lunch at the Chinese restaurant. I think it was a great success, as you can see from the smile on her face. She pronounced it a good outing. I hope to do more of these as she is still able to enjoy them.

She had to move a couple of months ago to a nursing home from the assisted living where she was. She was just not strong enough to help people get her up and down and they were not equipped to handle her without the possibility of someone getting hurt…especially her. We have some very caring sitters who stay with her in the daytime. They are amazing people who treat my Mom as if she were their own family.

She seems very happy where she is. One day my sister and I mentioned nursing home and Mom asked, “Is that what they call this place?” Then she said, “I guess I’ll just sit here and eat my blueberries.” She is very happy if you bring her some fresh fruit or some other treat and loves to see pictures of her great grandbabies. She has developed friendships with several of the patients there and especially her roommate, whom she has known for years, who is going to turn 100 years old this fall. This lady is still pretty sharp and is always doing word puzzles when I see her in the room.

There are still a few small battles to fight to make sure that the staff is attentive and prompt to take care of her needs, but they are apologetic and seem to try their best to accommodate our requests. Having a sitter there to advocate for her makes a difference. I don’t know what people do who don’t have family or friends checking on them when they are in a facility like that or a hospital.

A couple of times she has asked me if I have children or who I am married to, or where I live. Other times she remembers. She will call me at random times and say, “Your number just popped into my head.” Even if it is at 5:30 in the morning, I am thankful that she still remembers who I am and where to find me.

For several years now, my Mom has been progressing through the stages of Alzheimers. Lately she has gotten more confused and has had to be moved from an assisted living facility to a nursing home. She has extra sitters throughout the day, but for about a week we were dealing with red tape so she was by herself for a while. We visited frequently and she seemed happy there, but there was much confusion about where she was. We would answer the same questions over and over again. “Where am I now?”

I was thinking about how frustrating it would be to know and then forget the same simple fact of where you are over and over again. It reminded me of wandering in a forest and realizing that you are totally lost. You may find the path, but loose it again.

I process things through my art and so I began making some mixed media digital collages using some of my nature photos, painted backgrounds, and pictures of Mom when she was young. I am trying to tell the story of a young girl lost in an enchanted forest. She finds places to rest and friends to help her along the way. The journey is just beginning and time will tell where it leads.